Grain circulator



sept. 28 1926.

INVENTOR.

En@ t y.

2 Sheets-Sheet l J F REAVIS GRAIN CIRCULATOR Fild June 12. 1925 M/essesATTORNEYS.

Sept. 28 1926..

J. F. REAVIS' GRAIN CIRCULATOR Filed June 12, 1925 2 sheets-sheet. 2

I'NVENToR.

ATTORNEYS.

Patented Sept. 28,1926.

iran Stew-S JOHN FREDERIC REAVIS, OF BAGUIO, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS.

Gitana craoULAfroR.

' Appiiationnied June 12,'1925. seriaiivo; 36,762.

' My ypresent invention relates generally to grain circulators, and moreparticularlyto apparatus for storage bins of grains, meal, seeds andother granular substances which tend to heat anddeteriorate when inbulk,

may be easily and quickly 'installed and which will be uniformlyeffective and efficient in use. i Y

, In the accompanying drawings which il-' lustrate myV present inventionand form a part of 'thisospecicationg j Y Figure 1 is a side'view,partly in elevation and partly in section, illustrating the practicalapplication of my invention.

Figure2 is an enlarged vertical section v through the lower portionthereof.

Figure 3 is a partial frontelevation with the roof removed.

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail section through the wind wheel frame, and

Figure 5 is a perspective view illustrating a modification or extensionof the apparatus shown in Figures 1 to 4 inclusive.

Referring now to these figures I have shown iii lFigures 1 and 3 a binor storage box 10 for grains, meal, seed and like gran-r ular materialshaving ay forwardly and downwardly inclined bottom 11 although this isnot essential to operation of my invention. In Figure 1 I have shown thebin or storage box 10 provided with a roof 12 which, according to myimprovements, has an opening 13 at its front surmounted by a hood 14provided at its top with a centrally located bearing block 15.

At its lower front portion the loin or storage box 10 has an opening 16and I propose to mount on the lower front portion a circulating box 17,preferably formed of sheet metal and attached to the front of the binaround the opening 16. `This box 17 also preferablyhas a lowerdownwardly inclined delivery spout 18 in which a shut off gate 19ismounted and'has an upper rear opening 2O and an upper forward hingedlid 21. V

Depending with the circulating box 17 is the lower end of a graincirculating tube 22 which upstands along the front wall of the Vbin 10and is preferably attached thereto by means of anchor bands or straps23. The lower end of this tube within the circulating box 17 is openabove a bearing piece 24 attached thereto by straps 25, piece 24 servingas a bearing for the lower end of a conveyor screw 26 upstanding withinthe tube`22 for substantially its full length.

Y The screw 26 has at its upper end a shaft 27 projecting through andabove the upper closed end of the circulating tube 22, and the screwitself extends to a rearwardly and downwardly inclined discharge spout28 carried by the tube 22 adjacent toits upper end. Aroundl tlie upperend of. tube v22 is secured a crown band 29 and from this band attachingarms 30 radiate and are secured to adjacent portions of the bin l0 solas to cooperate with the anchor bands in rigidly and permanentlysecuring the circulating tube in proper position.

' The upstanding shaft 27 projects through, and has bearing in thebearing block 15 of the hood 14 and above said bearing block is providedwith a rigid collar 31 as most plainly seen in Figure 4 which receivesthe wind wheel frame 32 rotatably mounted on the shaft and having abearing plate 33 engaging vthe collar 31 with interposed antifrictionbearings 34. Within the frame 32 shaft 27 has a gear wheel 35 engagingthe gear vwheel 36-of the wind wheel shaft 37 having the wind wheel 38upon one end.

Below the hood 14 the shaft 27 may have gear wheels 39 and 40, theformer in connection with a. gear 41 at the upper forward end of theinclined fan shaft 42 and the latter in connection through an intermediate shaft 43 with the shaft of a generator 44 by which to utilizethe excess power of the wind wheel 38 for some useful purpose as forinstance the recharging of a battery 45.

The fan shaft 42 has a fan 46 at its lower rear end within the upper endof the bin 10 so that during operation Va blast of cooling air will bedirected downwardly into the bin especially over the material dis-vcharged through tlie spout 28 at the upperend of the circulating tube22.

In operation, the material within the bin linds its way by gravity intothe lower circulating box 17 and is there taken up by the lower ene ofthe screw 26. In this way the material is carried upwardly within thecirculating tube 22 and is lin-ally discharged into the upper end of thebin through the discharge spout 28.

lily invention may be utilized in battery 4form in connection with aseries of adjacent bins il? as shown in Figure 5. in which case the windwheel is suitably geared and connected to a shaft t8 extending along theseveral bins and having gears 49 engaging the upper gears 5() of theseveral screw shafts 5l, one for each of the bins. Like the screw 2G,the screws connected to shafts 5l operate in circulating tubes 52 ha*ing upper discharge spouts 53 opening into the bins 47. Otherwise thestructure incident to each circulating tube 52 is the same as thatpreviously described in connection with the single circulating tube 22,the material of each bin l? being ot' course independently circulated.

l clailn:

l. The combination with a. sto age bin for granular material having alower outlet, ot' a box secured to cover the outlet. a tube rising fromsaid box and secured along the bin having a discharge spout opening intothe bin, a conveyor screw extending upwardly within the tube from saidbox, and means for rotating said screw.

2. The combination with a storage bin for granular material having alower outlet, of a box secured to cover the outlet. a tube rising fromsaid box and secured along the bin having a discharge spout opening intothe bin. a conveyor screw extending upwardly within the tube from saidbox, a shaft extending from the upper end of the screw above the tube,and a wind wheel mounted on and operatively connected to said shaft.

3. rlhe combination with a storage bin for granular material having alower outlet, of a box secured to cover the outlet. a tube rising` 'fromsaid box and secured along the bin having a discharge spoilt openinginto the bin, a conveyor screw extending upwardly within the tube tronisaid box, a shaft extending from the upper end ol the screw above thetube, a fan shalt geared to said screw sha'lft and inclined downwardlyinto the bin, a ian on said shalt, and means for rotating the screwshait.

el. The combination with a storage bin for granular material having alower outlet.. ot a box secured to cover the outlet. a tube rising fromsaid box and secured along the bin having a. discharge spoilt openinginto the bin, a conveyor screw extending upwardly within the tube fromsaid box. and means for rotating said screw, said box having a valvedischarge spout at its base and an upper hinged cover as desa'ibed.

5. The combination with a storage bin for granular material. ot acirculating device therefor including means 'for receiving miiterialfrom the bottoni ot the bin. means lor conveying the material Afrom saidfirst named means upwardly to, and discharging the same within, the topof the bin, and nie-ans 'for cooling the grain so discharged into thebin.

(S. rl`lie combination with a storage bin i'or granular material. oi? acirculating dcvice therefor including means tor receivingmaterial fromthe lbottom oi' the bin. means ior conveying the material from sal'l'irst named means upwardly to, and discharging the same within, the topof the bin. and a i'an actuated by the ionveying means and disposed andoperating within the upper portion ot the bin.

l. ln combination with a storage receptatie for granular material. ot' acirculating device therefor including means tor receiving material fromthe bottom o the receptacle, means ior conveying the material from thetirst named means upwardly to i 1d discharging the same within. the tcpo the receptacle, and a wind wheel operativelyY connected to saidtonxf'eying means.

JOHN FREDERIC REVIS.

